Snapshot of this week’s ideas.  Workout highlight: My “new” Garmin watch.  Food highlight: Stevia.  Words of Wisdom highlight: The power of “yet.”

Click here for the video recap for the blog.

MAF Update:

This week was up and down.  Some of my rides had more virtual distance and others dropped.  I was very happy to see that my watch was not dropping the speed sensor.  It helps when things are consistent and I can compare better.

My hour-long Saturday ride was not as far as some others.  It seems easier to be more consistent on the shorter rides.  This makes sense because it is much easier to hold my focus better for short rides versus the long ride on Saturday.  I can tell immediately when my focus is lacking because my heart rate drops quickly.  Then I need to bust it to try to get back to where I want to be.  I will continue to work on that focus to see if I can’t be more consistent on all rides.  During my run block, may Saturday long runs got to be more evenly paced as my heart rate and legs got used to the work.  Hopefully, that will be the case with the bike block, but that will only happen if I can stay mentally locked in.

This week’s work:

Tuesday- 20-minute ride for 9.32 virtual miles

Wednesday- 30-minute ride for 13.82 virtual miles.

Friday- 20-minute ride for 9.37 virtual miles.

Saturday- 60-minute ride for 26.9 virtual miles.

Sunday- 20-minute ride for 9.34 virtual miles.

Food Highlight:

Stevia is a great way to add some sweetness to your life.  I use stevia in many different drinks that I enjoy.  My recovery day coffee would be awful without my stevia;  I am not a coffee fan, but I tolerate it with this added sweetness.  English toffee stevia used to be my choice in my morning “bulletproof coffee.”  Now, I have found that the vanilla cream flavor makes it even better.  I have a SodaStream that I like to use to make “cream soda” every once in a while, for a treat.  15 drops of my vanilla cream stevia and, presto, a tasty treat without the sugar.  I also make a hot drink that is coffee flavored, but has no caffeine or acid like regular coffee.  A few drops of the butter toffee stevia turn it into a nice warm treat.

Stevia does have some benefits that beat out the sugar replacements you will often find on the table of most restaurants. Stevia is natural and it does not lead to spikes in blood sugar.  When I use it in my “bulletproof coffee,” the stevia does not break the benefits of the high fat, low carb coffee.  Some may not like the taste of the Stevia, my wife included, but I have enjoyed the different flavors available.  If you are looking for some extra flavor, try this great sweetener.

Workout Highlight:

I was going to highlight my “new” Garmin Forerunner 735XT watch last week, but then ran into it dropping my speed during the rides.  This week, all rides went off without a hitch.  I have really enjoyed having this tool for my training.  When my cheap GPS watch died a few months ago, I thought I only needed to replace it with something simple.  Getting this Garmin has changed that thought. 

I am loving all the functions I am currently using, and the ones I have not used yet.  (I am not sure what is all available, but can’t to dig in and see what I can find.) Right now, I have added a speed and cadence sensor to help give me data on my indoor trainer rides.  While I don’t have it calibrated perfectly and get a speed higher than I am biking, it is at least a consistent metric to gauge my improvements.

The Garmin gives good feedback as you are working.  If I wanted to see it, I could see my current pace, distance, and duration on runs.  For the bike, I can see my distance, time, and speed.  Right now, I am actually trying not to pay too much attention to it during my workouts because I really need my focus to be on my heart rate, but I get the information after I finish the work.

The Garmin Connect app and site are wonderful, too.  It is nice to see all the data that is available.  Another cool feature are the training plans.  Normally, I dig into my brown notebook for workouts.  With this new watch, I can get training plans and workouts uploaded right to my watch.  I am not too sure how that will work, but I have a couple months left of the MAF bike block before I plan on trying some of these features.

Wisdom of the Week:

This week is about the “power of yet.”  I am into all things involved with growth mindset.  The word “yet” is key to this mindset.  It is important to switch your thinking to help rebound from failure.  The thought needs to change from “I can’t” to “I am not able to YET.”  This signifies that the failure is not final, but just a stumbling block along the path.

In my classroom, we try to learn from these stumbling blocks.  We focus on the fact that things are not final, but part of the process.  We need to keep moving forward. It is really hard for third-graders to focus on the process and not dwell on setbacks, but we continue to work on it.

This is the same for my training.  I had to keep “yet” in mind as I did my run block, and am now embarking on the bike block.  My virtual miles on the bike have taken a dip since starting.  Instead of dwelling on frustration, I reframe my thinking to the workout being part of the process to make me better in the future.  I am not fast “yet,” but am working hard to get there.  This week, don’t dwell on things that didn’t work.  Reframe your negative thoughts to the idea that you just aren’t there “yet.”

That’s just a bit of my experience.  Have a great week.